Front feed paper guiding means for writing machines



Aug, 5, 1947. E. F. BRITTEN, JR 2,425,172

FRONT FEED PAPER GUIDING MEANS FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed Sept. 8, 1945 LSheets-Sheet l .i mm].

Glide/11mg s 1947- F. BRITTE.N, JR 2,425,172

FRONT FEED PAPER GUIDING MEANS FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed Sept. 8, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Au 1947. E, F. BRITTEN, JR 2,425,172

FRONT FEED PAPER GUIDING MEANS FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed Sept. 8, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patente d Aug. 5, 1947 FRONT FEED PAPER GUIDING MEANS FOR WRITING MACHINES Edwin F. Britten, Jr., Short Hills, N. J., assignor to Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Orange, N. J a corporation of Delaware Application September 8, 1945, SerialNo. 615,182

4 Claims.

The invention relates to listing calculators and other machines having an endwise shiftable carriage provided with a rotatable platen and a paper guide having pressure rolls engaging the platen to feed a paper sheet thereover during rotation of the platen wherein the paper is fed to the machine forwardly of the platen, an object of the invention being to provide the machine with improved means for facilitating the insertion of the paper into the machine wherein the paper sheet to be inserted may be grasped by the operator at its top edge and pushed into the machine with the throat open, and a line printed near the top edge of the paper may be aligned by hand. Other object and advantages will appear hereinafter or will be obvious.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a side view of the invention as applied with the throat closed, parts being in section and parts broken away, the view being somewhat diagrammatic with respect to overlapping of parts.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, with the carriage open, the lower section H of the rear composite plate of the upper paper guide being shown in dotted lines in normal position with carriage open and in full lines in position taken when pushed rearwardly (by the operators fingers), to enlarge the throat of the paper insertion passage.

Figure 3 is a detail front view of the transparent front plate, partly broken away.

Figure 4 is a detail end view of the same.

Figure 5 is a detail end View of one of the end brackets for the transparent front plate.

Figure 6 is a detail front view of the same.

Figure 7 is a detail front View of the assembly of certain parts of the upper paper guide.

Figure 8 is a section of the same on the line 88 of Figure 7.

In these drawings, the numeral I designates a denominationally shiftable carriage, having mounted thereon a rotatable platen 2, provided with the usual means for rotating the same and holding it in position as rotated.

A lower paper guide 3 i providedwith pressure rolls 4, and is carried by right and left duplicate brackets 5, pivoted at 6 to the carriage frammg.

An upper paper guide is adapted to facilitate insertion of paper sheets into the machine, in such manner that the paper may be grasped by the operator at its top edge and pushed in with the throat open, and a line printed near the top edge of the paper may be aligned by hand, as will be described.

Thi upper paper guide has a paper insertion passage between front and rear plates thereof converging to form a throat, the front plate 9 be ing transparent, acting as a hold-back for the paper sheet and bearing near its lower edge a line finder line Ill, thereby rendering visible that portion of the paper sheet located above said line; and the rear plate being composite, comprising an upper section 1 provided with end plates 8 forming the end of the paper insertion passage, and a lower spring-urged section H the normal position of which is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, this lower section being yieldable against the tension of its springs l5 to the operators fingers in pushing a paper sheet into the machine to the full line position of Figure 2 to enlarge said throat.

This upper paper guide, with exception of said lower rear spring-urged plate section II, is carried by other right and left duplicate end plates 53 thereof, which latter are pivoted to the carriage framing at [3. Said lower rear plate section II is provided with downwardly extending arms l4, pivoted to the carriage framing also at l3, and with coiled springs l5 connecting the same at the upper portion thereof with the forward portion of said end plates l3, whereby the throat of said paper insertion passage will be enlarged upon pivotal movement rearwardly of said rear plate section II forward movement of said rear plate section being suitably limited. I he end plates I3 have arms connected at I3" with the assembly of parts 1 and 8, the lower rear plate section II projecting at its upper end past the lower en of upper rear plate section 1 and having the aforesaid spring connections i5 with plates 13. The transparent front plate 9 is connected with end plates l3 through the medium of end brackets 9', suitably secured to parts 9 and 13.

Thus the parts 1, 8, 9, H and I3 constituting the upper paper guide are movable as a unit upon pivot l3 away from the platen to the open position of Figure 2 and reversely to the closed position of Figure 1. The lower paper guide and its pressure rolls 4 are similarly movable away from the platen to open position and reversely to closed position upon the carriage frame pivots 6.

Manipulable means are provided for displacing the upper paper guide to closed position and to open position, any suitable means for this purpose being employed.

In the drawings, manipulable means ar provided for locking the upper and lower paper guides both in normal open position; for disabling said locking means and conjointly displacing both paper guides to and locking the same in closed position, and for disabling the last named locking means, conjointly restoring both paper guides to normal position and rendering again effective the first-named locking means as will be described. 7 r

A manipulable lever I6 is pivoted to the stationary framing of the machine at H, which latter is the platen carriage shaft, said lever having operating link connection H! with a crank arm H) of one of two toggle links 20, pivoted at 2| to the carriage framing, the other 22 of said toggle links being pivoted at 23 to theforward portion of said upper paper guide, an abutment 22 of said link 22 engaging the link to prevent fall of said links from the aligned position, wherein the pivots 2|, 23 and the pivot 24 of the two links together are aligned for look-- ing purposes.

Thus forward manipulation of lever IE will break the lock of the toggle links 20 and 22 and close the paper guides to the platen, and at the end of this movement the pivot 2| of link 20, the pivot l8 of link l8 to the crank arm l9, and the pivot l8" of link l8 to the lever I6 will become aligned to lock the paper guides in closed posi- I In the manipulation of lever it as aforesaid,

both the upper and lower paper guides will be simultaneously operated to close the same to the platen; and in the manipulation of transparent front plate 9, both the upper and lower paper guides will be simultaneously operated to open.

the same away from the platen, due to links 25 connecting crank arms 26 of the end plates l3 with the brackets '55 of said lower paper guide, links 25 being pivoted at 25' to said crank arms 25 and pivoted at 25" to said brackets 5.

In practice, pivot l8 will in locked position of the parts be located slightly above aligned position with pivots H3 and 2|, so that part II willnot bang violently against the platen in closing; and pivot 24 will be located slightly above aligned position with pivots 2| and 23, so that the throat may if desired be closed by pushing upon the upper paper guide.

Certain parts herein described will necessarily be provided in duplicate at the platen ends.

It will be noted from th language used herein that when the paper guides are closed to the platen the throat is said to be closed, and when thepaper guides are moved away from the platen the throat is said to be open.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a rotatable platen; of 'a front-feed paper guide comprising front and rear spaced plates converging to form 'a throat, and manipulable means for displacing said paper guide as a unit forwardly away from the platen from closed to open position for insertion of a paper sheet into the machine, said front plate being transparent, acting as a hold-back for the paper sheet, bearing a line finder line and rendering visible that portion of said sheet located above said line, said rear plate being spring-urged and yieldable rearwardly against the tension of its spring to the operators fingers grasping the top edge of said sheet being inserted into the machine to enlarge said throat and-permit alignment by hand of a line printed near the top edge of said sheet. V

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a rotatable platen; of a front-feed paper guide comprising front and rear spaced plates converging to form a throat, and manipulable means for displacing said paper guide as a unit forwardly away from the platen from closed to open position for insertion of a paper sheet into the machine, said front plate being transparent, acting as a hold-back for said sheet,

bearing at its lower edge a line finder line and rendering visible that portion of said sheet located above said line, said rear plate being composite and having a lower spring-urged part yieldable r'earwardly against the tension of its spring to the operator's fingers to enlarge said throat and permit alignment by hand of a line printed near the top edge of said sheet.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a rotatable p f a lower p p guide having pressure rolls engaging the platen, an upper front-feed paper guide having front and rear spaced plates converging to form a throat, and manipulable means for conjointly displacing both paper guides as a unit forwardly away from the platen from closed to open position for insertion of a paper sheet into the machine, said front plate being transparent, acting as a hold-back for the paper sheet, bearing a line finder line'and rendering visible that portion of said sheet located above said line, said rear plate being composite and having a lower springurged part yieldable rearwardly against the tension of its spring to the operators fingers to enlarge said throat'and permit alignment by hand of a line printed near the top edge of said sheet.

4. In a machine-of the class described, the combination with a rotatable platen; of a lower paper guide having pressure rolls engaging the platen, an upper front-feed paper guide having front and rear spaced plates converging to form a throat, and manipulable means for locking both paper guides in closed position, for disabling said locking means and conjointly displacing both paper guides as a unit forwardly away from the platen to and locking the same in open position for insertion of a paper sheet into the machine, and for disabling the last named locking means, conjointly restoring both paper guides to closed position and rendering again effective the first named locking means, said front plate being transparent, acting as-a hold-back for the paper sheet, bearing a line finder line and rendering visible that portion of said sheet located above said line, said rear plate being composite and having a lower spring-urged part yieldable rearwardly against the tension'of its spring to the operators fingers to enlarge said throat and permit alignment by hand of a line printed near the top edge of said sheet.

EDWIN F. BRI'I'IEN, JR.

REFERENCES 'oi'r'En 7 The following re'ferences are of reco'rdinthe file'of this patent:

UNITED'STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,744,512 Smith Jan. 21, 1930 1,874,823 Smith Aug. 30, 1932 '1,'875;917 Ens Sept. 6, '1932 2,086,274 'Kupetz July 6, 1937 2,332,033 Welker Oct. 19, 1943 "FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 445,585 Great Britain "-2 -1936 

